There’s a great article about artist Alfred Hutty in this month’s Charleston Magazine. The article features the Hutty painting titled, Back Street (Wash Day) from the FCM’s Wright Collection of Southern Art. Visitors will be able to see the painting on display starting June 11th in Southern Visions, an exhibit which explores regional identity through art created during the early 1900s. Southern Visions is one of two art exhibits opening next month at the FCM.
Alfred Hutty was born in Grand Haven, Michigan; studied at St. Louis School of Fine Arts; moved to Woodstock, NY in 1907. While in Woodstock, Hutty studied under Birge Harrison, at the Art Students League, and he worked as a stained glass designer for Tiffany Studios. Primarily an oil and watercolor artist, Hutty did not seriously take up etching until he took residence in Charleston in 1919. He quickly absorbed the energy and atmosphere of the city, which inspired much of the art he later became famous for. Shortly after his arrival in Charleston, Hutty served as the first director of the School of the Carolina Art Association. In 1923, a mixed group of nine local artists, which included Hutty, founded the Charleston Etchers Club. It was Hutty who helped the club acquire their own etching press, which they set up at the Charleston Museum. Having the personal endorsement of an artist of Hutty’s pedigree helped bring legitimacy to Charleston as a bona fide destination capable of sustaining a community worthy of the accomplished artist.
Stop by Sat 5/9 from 11am-2pm for our Spring Plant sale with a unique selection of plants provided by Verdant Nursery & Healy Horticulture. Admission is free. Proceeds benefit the Pee Dee Botanical Garden.
Families are also invited to join us from 1-3pm this Sat for Family Day - Pretty Pollinators. Your child will learn what a pollinator is, why they’re important, & get to plant their own pollinating flower to take home. Free, educational fun for the entire family!
Did you know that starting in the late 1800s, immigrants from Germany, Syria, and Greece began arriving in the city of Florence? Many were entrepreneurs who sought to build new lives in America as merchants, candy manufacturers, and restaurateurs. Our latest exhibition Lasting Presence invites visitors to learn about various local immigrant stories & reflect on how their contributions shaped Florence as we know it today. Lasting Presence is on display now through July 26, 2026. Admission is free!
Great opportunities to engage & learn art, history, & science are just around the corner at the FCM. Museums are a great resource available to everyone. Make use of our programming to better yourself!
Exhibiting photojournalist & Civil Rights activist, Cecil Williams was honored during New York Fashion Week in September of 2025. Apparel founder Lanny Smith, of Actively Black, collaborated with Cecil Williams to feature the iconic image of Cecil drinking from a “white only” water fountain on apparel featured in the fashion show. Smith’s company donates a portion of the proceeds earned from sales to The South Carolina Civil Rights Museum in Orangeburg, SC, where Williams serves as the director. The image of a twenty five year old Williams demonstrating civil disobedience during the segregated era of South Carolina in 1956 has gone viral several times over as a younger generation learns about the Civil Rights movement. This video showcases how impactful Cecil’s life and work is still today. You can experience the impact of his work in person at the FCM in Unforgettable: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams on exhibit now through May 17, 2026.
Lasting Presence, our latest exhibition highlighting the valuable impact immigrants have made throughout Florence’s history is now open!
Starting in the late 1800s, immigrants from Germany, Syria, and Greece began arriving in the city of Florence. Many were entrepreneurs who sought to build new lives in America as merchants, candy manufacturers, and restaurateurs. As their businesses grew in popularity and success, names that were once foreign to native Florentines, such as Baroody, Saleeby, Kuker, Cohen, and Palles, gradually became commonplace throughout the city. Descendants of these and other immigrant families can still be found in and around Florence today. Visitors are invited to learn various local immigrant stories & reflect on how their contributions shaped Florence as we know it today.
Lasting Presence will be on display through Sunday, July 26, 2026. This exhibition is made possible by 2025 membership contributions.
The public is invited to join us for refreshments and a mid-exhibit lecture on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 5:00 pm. Curator of History Cherish Thomas will provide an in-depth presentation on the families, businesses, and cultures featured in the exhibition.
Join us this Sat for Family Day - Artifacts in Clay from 1-3pm. This free event is a great way to bond and foster an appreciation of art & history with your family. This month we will guide you through creating coil pots. You can also learn about the Native-American cultures of the Pee Dee who utilized this ceramic technique.
Saturday, April 11 is also Slow Art Day, a global event that 1,500 museums & galleries participate in each year with the simple mission to help more people discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art. Ask our front desk, for our Slow Art Day Guide to our current photojournalism exhibit, Unforgettable: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams. The guide will usher you through taking a little extra time to observe the photography on display.
Born on this day in history, Holcha Krake Johnson (1885 - 1944) was a Danish textile artist, ceramist, and watercolorist whose career pioneered a bridge between Nordic folk traditions and modernist art movements. Her art and presence had a tremendous influence in the life of her husband, William H. Johnson. Scroll through the slides to learn more!
We will be closed to the public Fri, 4/3 - Sun, 4/5 in observation of the holiday weekend. Visiting hours will resume Tues, 4/7, at 10:00 am.
Have a safe and happy Easter!
Photograph of painting taken by FCM staff during a visit to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 2009.
Artwork credit:
William H. Johnson (1901 - 1970)
Flowers
oll on plywood ca. 1939-1940
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
1967.59.602
April 2nd marks the birthday of Rev. Evan Pugh (1729-1802). Pugh was a contemporary of Francis Marion and George Washington. He was an ordained Baptist minister, a frontier doctor, a farmer, and unassuming historian, who came to the Pee Dee in 1764. His writings, The Diaries of Evan Pugh (1762-1801) transcribed Horace Fraser Rudasill, offer a rare firsthand account of life in the Pee Dee during colonial settlement through American independence.
Fun things are coming to the FCM! We’ll be a hosting a family-friendly fossil presentation, new exhibits are coming soon, Second Sunday Tour, Family Day, and more. Go ahead and mark your calendars! See links in bio for more details on all things Florence County Museum.
Cecil Williams on NBC News discussing his life’s work documenting Civil Rights history that took place in South Carolina. Williams serves as the director of The South Carolina Civil Rights Museum in Orangeburg, South Carolina. We’re proud to showcase Unforgettable: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams. Experience this compelling photojournalism and impactful regional Civil Rights history on exhibit now through May 17, 2026 at the FCM.
Video credit: NBC News Jan 2, 2026, Reporter Marquise Francis’ segment titled, “One Photographer’s Big Picture.”
